Automatic lighter system for vapor fuel stoves



Oct; 4, 1938. v

G. E. PICKUP 2,131,903

AUTOMATIC LIGHTER SYSTEM FOR VAPOR FUEL STOVES Filed Nov. 22, 1955 i J1 f :1 4o .:r g 25 4 4 f /3 g 82? gs ./B /ag 22 I 5 14 20 I L r W I so 54 ENVENTQ'E. George T/U/bku y J3 24, M16} 924 4 TTOwE s lighted while the burner system remains in operation. Customarily one of the principal burners ll may comprise two semicircular segments 29 and 30, one disposed on each side of the generator tube I8 and in close proximity to the combustion zone established by the auxiliary burner 23. Through this arrangement the segmental burner will ignite automatically when fuel vapor is admitted thereto because of the proximity of its combustion zone to that of the auxiliary burner. I-Ieretofore, however, no practical means has been proposed for automatically lighting the remain ing one or more principal burners of a vaporfuel stove burner system.

The principal aim of the present invention, therefore, has been to provide a lighter system by which any burner may be automatically ignited from a continuous flame such as that supplied by the generator burner. Preferably the lighter system may take the form of mechanism by which any principal burner may be ignited by the sole expedient of opening its valve l2 to admit fuel vapor from the manifold. To this end, the invention contemplates the provision of vapor conducting means, herein shown as comprising a plurality of tubes 32 providing ducts for conveying fuel vapor from any one of the remotely disposed principal burners ll past the segmental burner to the combustion zone of the generator burner, where the fuel vapor, will be ignited and cause a flash-back flame extending to the combustion zone of the principal burner to light the same.

In the present embodiment, separate ducts 32 are shown as extending from the burners toward a common position adjacent the generator burner 23 and with their ends opening toward the combustion zone of the latter burner. Means may be provided for fixedly supporting the adjacent ends of the lighter ducts 32 as a unit. For

this purpose the auxiliary burner is of improved construction and may be equipped with a flange 33 forming an extension of oneside of the body of the burner, and adapted to receive one leg 34 of an angle bracket 35, a bolt 37 maintaining the angle bracket firmly in position. An outstanding leg 38 on the bracket provides a shelf upon which the adjacent ends of the lighter ducts are supported. If desired, the ducts may be permanently and rigidly secured to the bracket leg 38 by brazing or a similar expedient. Through this arrangement, all of the lighter ducts are maintained permanently in position but may be quickly removed as a unit by loosening the bolt 31.

The fuel vapor in a stove of the present type is maintained at low pressure and when in a relatively cool condition is heavier than air. It is necessary therefore, to provide means for delivering the heavy fuel vapor from the burner to be lighted to the lighter duct leading thereto. To this end, therefore, the side wall of each remote burner l l is provided with an orifice 39 preferably near the upper wall or combustion zone of the burner. The mouth of the adjacent lighter duct 32 is disposed in substantially coaxial, spaced relation to the orifice so that fuel vapor forced from the orifice by the slight pressure under which it is admitted to the burner will pass into the duct. The fuel vapor is then conveyed through the duct to the combustion zone of the lighted burner and promptly becomes ignited throughout the length of the tube. Combustion within the lighter duct may be relatively sluggish due to the lack of air, but as soon as the combustion reaches back to the mouth of the duct where a free supply of air is available a puff or flash of flame F occurs. This flame passes upwardly toward the combustion zone of the burner,

' thereby causing the fuel vapor issuing from the usual burner slots 40 to become ignited.

A fairly critical relationship must be observed with respect to the spacing between the mouth of the lighter'duct 32 and the adjacent wall of the burner ll so that the flame F will attain proper results. The importance of this arises from the necessity of an adequate supply of secondary air to produce the flame. Accordingly the proper spacing should be predetermined from a consideration of the relative proportions of the parts. In the practical embodiment illustrated herein the lighter ducts are of & inch exterior diameter tubing and a spacing of from inch to inch between the tube end and the mouth of the orifice 39 has been found satisfactory.

Aproper axial relation of the mouth of the duct 32 t0 the orifice 39 should also be maintained for best results. Herein this end is attained by providing a laterally projecting troughshaped lug 4| on the wall of the burner underlying the orifice. The end of the lighter duct may then rest upon the outer end of the lug in its trough-depression. As will be observed, the radius of the trough is greater than that of the duct, and space is thus provided on each side of the duct for a draft of air to the flame F. The trough, moreover aids in the passage of fuel vapor from the orifice to the lighter duct, and perhaps aids somewhat in causing the flame to pass upwardly into the combustion zone of the burner.

The flash-back flame F occurs with a slight explosive force and in order to prevent entrance of the flame into the principal burner, suitable means is provided across the orifice 39. In the present instance, this means comprises a fitting 42 threadedly engaging in the orifice 39 and carrying a transverse screen 43. This screen permits free discharge of fuel vapor when igniting the burner but acts to deflect the flame and prevent its entrance to the burner, substantially as indicated in Fig. 4. Once the principal burner has been lighted, practically all of the fuel vapor will pass upwardly into the combustion zone of the burner and what little may continue to pass laterally through the lighting orifice 39 will be consumed by an insignificant flame at the outside face of the screen.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel lighter system by which any one or more principal burners of a vapor fuel stove may be automatically ignited by merely admitting vapor fuel to the burner. The construction and relationship of parts, moreover 18 of a very simple, inexpensive and eflicient charac er.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination in a lighter system for a vapor fuel stove including a burner structure embodying a manifold and means for delivering fuel vapor to said manifold, a hollow valve-controlled principal burner and an auxiliary burner'continuously lighted while the stove is in use both communicating with said manifold, said principal burner having an upper burner surface and being arranged for up-draft combustion, an orifice in the side of said principal burner below said burner surface, said'oriflce being of substantial diameter to permit the discharge from saidprincipal burner of ,a considerable volume of heavy fuel vapor after the burner has been turned on and before any appreciable quantity has escaped through said burner surface, a lighter duct having one end in substantially spaced relation to said orifice and its other end communicating with the combustion zone of said auxiliary burner for conveying to said combustion zone fuel vapor passing from said principal burner through said orifice whereby to effect ignition of said vapor, and means for preventing entrance to the interior of the principal burner of the flame resulting as an incident to ignition of said fuel vapor.

2. In combination in an automatic lighter system for a vapor fuel stove embodying a manifold and a generator for delivering fuel vapor to said manifold, a first burner disposed relative to said generator for continuously heating the same, a hollow-body burner remotely disposed relative to said first burner,.and having an upwardly disposed combustion face, an orifice in the side of said hollow-body burner below said combustion face, a vapor tube leading substantially axially from said orifice and terminating in close proximity to said first burner, and an upwardly opening trough shaped lug on said hollow-body burner below saidorifice for receiving and maintaining said vapor conducting tube in operative position relative to said orifice and serving to conduct fuel vapor from said orifice into said tube and to direct upwardly toward said combustion face the flame created by ignition of fuel vapor in said tube.

combustion zone of said generator burner and its other end spaced a predetermined short distance from the mouth of said orifice in substantial alignment therewith to receive fuel vapor flowing outwardly and downwardly therefrom, and means below said orifice and the adjacent end of said tube for conducting the heavy fuel vapor through the space between the orifice and said adjacent tube end so that the fuel vapor will travel to said combustion zone and become ignited throughout said tube, said means being constructed to permit unobstructed communication thereabove between said space and said burner top and being so related to said adjacent end of said tube that air may flow freely along the sides of said tube toward said space to insure an adequate supply of air for an explosive flash of lighting flame in said space upwardly toward said burner top as an incident to said ignition throughout said tube.

4.'In combination in a vapor fuel stove of the character described, a first burner to be ignited initially in placing the stove in operation, a hollow valve-controlled second burner having a perforated burner top in a higher plane than the first burner, a lighter tube having one end within the combustion zone of the first burner and slanting upwardly toward the second burner, the side wall of the second burner having an orifice therein through which heavy fuel vapor may escape before reaching said burner top when the burner is turned on for starting, and means for supporting the upper end of said tube in predetermined spaced relation to and in alignment with the mouth of said orifice to receive fuel vapor therefrom to convey the vapor to said combustion zone for ignition to produce a flash-back flame for ig- 

